Intimate partner violence (IPV) can have serious and lasting effects on women's mental health and well-being. Chinese immigrant women in the United States often face additional barriers to obtaining IPV and mental health support, including language, cultural, and social challenges. There is a need for culturally appropriate interventions that improve access to care and address the mental health needs of this underserved population.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Self-Compassion, Health, and Empowerment (SHE) intervention, a culturally tailored mobile health (mHealth) program designed for Chinese immigrant women experiencing IPV. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the SHE intervention or an attention control program and will complete study assessments over a 12-month follow-up period.
The results of this study will help determine whether the SHE intervention improves mental health and well-being among Chinese immigrant women experiencing IPV and may provide evidence for an accessible, culturally appropriate intervention that can be implemented more broadly.
Age 18 or older;
Self-identify as a woman;
Self-identify as Chinese;
Reside in the U.S.;
Those who cannot speak or understand Mandarin or English;
Those with substance use, suicidality, or who have been in mental health care for severe mental illness.
Parallel
The Self-Compassion, Health, and Empowerment (SHE) Intervention
BehavioralThe intervention will consist of 6 weekly sessions. Session 1 is a phone discussion about an IPV safety brochure covering IPV information, questions from the Danger Assessment, safety planning, options, and available resources. It also includes immigrant-specific content such as immigration-related abuse, legal options for immigrants, and resources for immigrant survivors. Sessions 2-6 will focus on providing mental health self-care resources, with a specific topic assigned each week (Deep Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Mindful Self- Compassion, Mindfulness, and Loving-Kindness). Each session includes a video introduction on 1 of our 5 topics, with accompanying audio instructions for exercises. The interventionist will guide participants to review the video at the beginning of each session and encourage them to practice the exercises presented in that session daily for 1 week.
Health and Nutrition Program
BehavioralIt consists of six weekly educational sessions focused on nutrition and health. Each week, participants will view a video on a specific nutrition-related topic and complete a quiz/homework (e.g., food label identification, healthy meal planning). Reminder and check-in messages will be sent every other day via text messages to reinforce the content and respond to any participant questions.
Depression symptoms
The instrument used will be the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.
Anxiety symptoms
The instrument used will be the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. The total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms.
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
The instrument used will be the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. The total scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating more severe PTSD symptoms.
Intimate partner violence
The instrument used will be the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales. Item scores within each subscale were summed, with higher scores indicating more frequent experiences of the corresponding behaviors. The scale consists of five subscales: negotiation (6 items; score range = 0-150), psychological aggression (8 items; score range = 0-200), physical assault (12 items; score range = 0-300), sexual coercion (7 items; score range = 0-175), and injury (6 items; score range = 0-150).
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Yang Li
Lead sponsor
University of Texas at Austin
Sponsor institution
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